Social journey

ABSTRACT

Methods, computer-readable media, software, and apparatuses provide a system that may facilitate communications between drivers who share a route. The system may allow communications to be sent from one driver to another driver and allow drivers to post queries to other drivers sharing a route. Computing devices in the vehicle may collect route data for the system to evaluate and to use in identifying drivers sharing a route.

This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/043,801, entitled “Social Journey,” filed Aug. 29,2014, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

A driver on a journey from point A to point B is often traveling alongthe same route as other drivers. Drivers on the route, may desireinformation, for example, about the route ahead or about traffic or roadconditions or tips that other drivers might know. However, there iscurrently no way for a driver to communicate with others on such ashared route, other than the inefficient waving through a vehicle windowas they pass each other. Citizens band radio has been used forcommunications between drivers in a region, but the communications ofcitizens band radio are broadcast to anyone listening in the region,including those not on a shared route.

Therefore, improved systems and methods to address these and othershortcomings in the art are desired.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In light of the foregoing background, the following presents asimplified summary of the present disclosure in order to provide a basicunderstanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not anextensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify keyor critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of theinvention. The following summary merely presents some concepts of theinvention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detaileddescription provided below.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to apparatuses, computer implementedmethods and computer readable media for identifying users who a share aroute. Drivers often share a route with other drivers, although they maynot realize it. They may be going from one particular area to anotherand may be on the same route or different routes to the samedestination. Some drivers may be going from point A to point B whileothers are going from point B to point A. Each driver may haveinformation, such as information about the route, which may be helpfulor useful to another driver.

In accordance with aspects of the disclosure, a system may be providedto connect users for communication or to provide communications amongthe users sharing a route. The system may provide the users with theability to query each other or to query others on a route. The systemmay provide for route sharing and destination recommendations. In someaspects of the disclosure, the system may provide users the ability torequest shared rides or other services from other drivers. In someembodiments, the system may recommend routes, destinations or merchants,who may offer coupons or discounts. The system may provide informationto one or more users along a route. In some embodiments, the system mayincorporate user driver records or intersection or route accident claimhistory in recommendations or in relation to other services.

Of course, the methods and systems of the above-referenced embodimentsmay also include other additional elements, steps, computer-executableinstructions, or computer-readable data structures. In this regard,other embodiments are disclosed and claimed herein as well. The detailsof these and other embodiments of the present invention are set forth inthe accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features andadvantages of the invention will be apparent from the description,drawings, and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example and is notlimited by the accompanying figures in which like reference numeralsindicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example computing device that may beused according to an illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example network environment in which a system inaccordance with the present disclosure may be implemented.

FIG. 3 illustrates a route that may be related to a particular user inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of an example process in accordancewith aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of an example process in accordancewith aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example user interface in accordance with aspectsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example alternate route in accordance with aspectsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example user interface in accordance with aspectsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example user interface in accordance with aspectsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates a channel list in accordance with aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example alternate route in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example user interface in accordance with aspectsof the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of this disclosure relate to systems and methods that may beutilized to enhance the driving experience by creating a community ofdrivers (users) who share a route. Aspects of the disclosure involveobtaining user route information and providing services, such asinformation about a route or destinations along or near the route orcommunications with other drivers who share the route.

In the following description of the various embodiments of thedisclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form apart hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration, variousembodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. It is to beunderstood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural andfunctional modifications may be made.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a computing device (or system) 101in a computer system 100 that may be used according to one or moreillustrative embodiments of the disclosure. The device 101 may have aprocessor 103 for controlling overall operation of the device 101 andits associated components, including RAM 105, ROM 107, input/outputmodule 109, and memory 115. The computing device 101, along with one ormore additional devices (e.g., terminals 141 and 151, security andintegration hardware 160) may correspond to any of multiple systems ordevices, such as a life insurance provider device or system, or acustomer device or system, configured as described herein fordetermining users who are on a shared route, and performing variousdeterminations and actions based on the user requests.

Input/Output (I/O) 109 may include a microphone, keypad, touch screen,and/or stylus through which a user of the computing device 101 mayprovide input, and may also include one or more of a speaker forproviding audio output and a video display device for providing textual,audiovisual and/or graphical output. Software may be stored withinmemory 115 and/or storage to provide instructions to processor 103 forenabling device 101 to perform various actions. For example, memory 115may store software used by the device 101, such as an operating system117, application programs 119, and an associated internal database 121.The various hardware memory units in memory 115 may include volatile andnonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any methodor technology for storage of information such as computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules or other data. In someexamples, one or more nonvolatile hardware memory units having at least5 gigabytes (GB) of memory may be used in device 101, in order tosupport sufficient numbers of user records in certain embodiments ofsocial journey providing systems. Memory 115 also may include one ormore physical persistent memory devices and/or one or morenon-persistent memory devices. Memory 115 may include, but is notlimited to, random access memory (RAM) 105, read only memory (ROM) 107,electronically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flashmemory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD)or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape,magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any othermedium that can be used to store the desired information and that can beaccessed by processor 103.

Processor 103 may include a single central processing unit (CPU), whichmay be a single-core or multi-core processor (e.g., dual-core,quad-core, etc.), or may include multiple CPUs. Processor(s) 103 mayhave various bit sizes (e.g., 16-bit, 32-bit, 64-bit, 96-bit, 128-bit,etc.) and various processor speeds (ranging from 100 MHz to 5 Ghz orfaster). Processor(s) 103 and its associated components may allow thesystem 101 to execute a series of computer-readable instructions, forexample, to store and update user routes, retrieve and analyze userinsurance data from a clearinghouse, and perform various determinationsand actions using the user data, such as processing queries or requestsor postings.

The computing device may operate in a networked environment supportingconnections to one or more remote computers, such as terminals 141 and151. The terminals 141 and 151 may be personal computers, servers (e.g.,web servers, database servers), or mobile communication devices (e.g.,mobile phones, portable computing devices, and the like), and mayinclude some or all of the elements described above with respect to thecomputing device 101. The network connections depicted in FIG. 1 includea local area network (LAN) 125 and a wide area network (WAN) 129, and awireless telecommunications network 133, but may also include othernetworks. When used in a LAN networking environment, the computingdevice 101 may be connected to the LAN 125 through a local area networkinterface or adapter 123. When used in a WAN networking environment, thedevice 101 may include a modem 127 or other means for establishingcommunications over the WAN 129, such as network 131 (e.g., theInternet). When used in a wireless telecommunications network 133, thedevice 101 may include one or more transceivers, digital signalprocessors, and additional circuitry and software for communicating withwireless computing devices 141 (e.g., mobile phones, portable customercomputing devices) via one or more network devices 135 (e.g., basetransceiver stations) in the wireless network 133.

Also illustrated in FIG. 1 is a security and integration layer 160,through which communications may be sent and managed between thecomputing device 101 and the remote devices (141 and 151) and remotenetworks (125, 129, and 133). The security and integration layer 160 maycomprise one or more computing devices, such as web servers,authentication servers, and various networking components (e.g.,firewalls, routers, gateways, load balancers, etc.), having some or allof the elements described above with respect to the computing device101. As an example, security and integration layer 160 may comprise aset of web application servers configured to use secure protocols and toinsulate the computing device 101 from external devices 141 and 151. Insome cases, the security and integration layer 160 may correspond to aset of dedicated hardware and/or software operating at the same physicallocation and under the control of same entities as the computing device101. For example, layer 160 may correspond to one or more dedicated webservers and network hardware in a datacenter or in a cloudinfrastructure. In other examples, the security and integration layer160 may correspond to separate hardware and software components whichmay be operated at a separate physical location and/or by a separateentity.

As discussed below, the data transferred to and from a computing device101 in a social journey providing system may include secure andsensitive data, such as user location and destination data. Therefore,it may be desirable to protect the data transmission by using securenetwork protocols and encryption, and also to protect the integrity ofthe data stored when on the computing device 101 using the security andintegration layer 160 to authenticate users and restrict access tounknown or unauthorized users. In various implementations, security andintegration layer 160 may provide, for example, a file-based integrationscheme or a service-based integration scheme. In filed-basedintegration, data files may be transmitted to and from the computingdevice 101 through the security and integration layer 160, using variousnetwork communication protocols. Secure data transmission protocolsand/or encryption may be used in file transfers to protect to integrityof the user data, for example, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Secure FileTransfer Protocol (SFTP), and/or Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) encryption.

In service-based integration, one or more web services may beimplemented within the computer system 100 and/or security andintegration layer 160. The web services may be accessed by authorizedexternal devices and users to support input, extraction, andmanipulation of the data in the social journey providing computingdevice 101. Web services built to support the social journey providingservice may be cross-domain and/or cross-platform, and may be built forenterprise use. Such web services may be developed in accordance withvarious web service standards, such as the Web Service Interoperability(WS-I) guidelines. In some examples, a social journey providing webservice may be implemented in the security and integration layer 160using the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS)protocol to provide secure connections between the computing device 101and various clients 141 and 151 attempting to insert or manipulate datawithin the clearinghouse. SSL or TLS may be used with HTTP or HTTPS toprovide authentication and confidentiality. In other examples, a socialjourney providing web service may be implemented using the WS-Securitystandard, which provides for secure SOAP messages using XML encryption.In still other examples, the security and integration layer 160 mayinclude specialized hardware for providing secure web services. Forexample, secure network appliances in the security and integration layer160 may include built-in features such as hardware-accelerated SSL andHTTPS, WS-Security, and firewalls. Such specialized hardware may beinstalled and configured in the security and integration layer 160 infront of the web servers, so that any external devices may communicatedirectly with the specialized hardware.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, various elements within memory 115 orother components in system 100, may include one or more caches, forexample, CPU caches used by the processing unit 103, page caches used bythe operating system 117, disk caches of a hard drive, and/or databasecaches used to cache content from database 121. For embodimentsincluding a CPU cache, the CPU cache may be used by one or moreprocessors in the processing unit 103 to reduce memory latency andaccess time. In such examples, a processor 103 may retrieve data from orwrite data to the CPU cache rather than reading/writing to memory 115,which may improve the speed of these operations. In some examples, adatabase cache may be created in which certain data from a database 121(e.g., a social journey providing database) is cached in a separatesmaller database on an application server separate from the databaseserver. For instance, in a multi-tiered application, a database cache onan application server can reduce data retrieval and data manipulationtime by not needing to communicate over a network with a back-enddatabase server. These types of caches and others may be included invarious embodiments, and may provide potential advantages in certainimplementations of social journey providing systems, such as fasterresponse times and less dependence on network conditions when accessingthe social journey providing system to update or retrieve user routeinformation, or processing requests for user services.

It will be appreciated that the network connections shown areillustrative and other means of establishing a communications linkbetween the computers may be used. The existence of any of variousnetwork protocols such as TCP/IP, Ethernet, FTP, HTTP and the like, andof various wireless communication technologies such as GSM, CDMA, WiFi,and WiMAX, is presumed, and the various computer devices and socialjourney providing system components described herein may be configuredto communicate using any of these network protocols or technologies.

Additionally, one or more application programs 119 may be used by thecomputing device 101 within a social journey providing system, includingcomputer executable instructions for receiving and processing user routeand requested user services, maintaining, retrieving and analyzing userdata (e.g., user preferences, interests, etc.), and performing otherrelated functions as described herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example network environment 200 for implementingmethods according to the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, thenetwork environment 200 may include a network 201 configured to connectcomputing devices within or associated with a vehicle 202 (e.g., vehiclecomputing device 206), satellites 203, cellular network elements 204(e.g., cell towers), one or more administrative computing devices 207,and one or more application servers 205.

The vehicle computing device 206 may be a mobile device (e.g., asmartphone, tablet, etc.), and thus, may also include various othercomponents, such as a battery, speaker, and/or antennas (not shown).Also, the vehicle computing device 206 may attached to the vehicle(either installed by a vehicle manufacturer or as an aftermarket part)having vehicle compatible elements, such as a port for an on-boarddiagnostic connector or ports for other vehicle sensors (e.g., tirepressure sensors, engine temperature sensors, etc.).

The network 201 may be any type of network, like the network 131described above, and use one or more communication protocols (e.g.,protocols for the Internet (IP), Bluetooth, cellular communications,satellite communications, etc.) to connect computing devices and serverswithin the network environment 200 so they may send and receivecommunications (e.g., notifications shown as dashed arrows) between eachother. In particular, the network 201 may include a cellular network andits components, such as base stations. Accordingly, for example, avehicle computing device 206 (e.g., a smartphone or a navigationcomputer) of a user in vehicle 202 may communicate, via a cellularbackhaul of the network 201, with an application server 205 which inturn may communicate, via the cellular backhaul of the network 201, withanother computing device 208 or 209 (e.g., another smartphone ornavigation computer) to provide notifications. While FIG. 2 depictsarrows pointing to the vehicle 202, it should be understood that theconnections may be made with the vehicle computing device 206 within thevehicle 202. For example, the vehicle computing device 206 maycommunicate with a satellite 203 to obtain GPS coordinates or totransfer notifications to the network 201 through the satellite 203.

FIG. 2 illustrates only one vehicle 202. However, the social journeyproviding system may be configured to communicate with multiple vehicles202 simultaneously.

Also, although FIG. 2 depicts the vehicle 202 as a car, the vehicle 202may be any type of vehicle, including a motorcycle, bicycle, scooter,drone (or other automated device), truck, bus, boat, plane, helicopter,etc.

FIG. 2 also illustrates an example subsystem within the networkenvironment 200. Specifically, FIG. 2 illustrates an example arrangementof computing devices that may exist within the vehicle 202 (and othervehicles not shown). To depict these computing devices, FIG. 2 includesa view of the inside of the vehicle 202. As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle202 may include a vehicle computing device 206.

In some embodiments, the vehicle computing device 206 may also beconfigured to collect drive data using, e.g., an accelerometer, GPS,gyroscope, etc. of the vehicle computing device 206. Drive data mayinclude vehicle telematics data or any other data related to eventsoccurring during a vehicle's trip (e.g., an impact to a part of thevehicle, a deployed airbag, etc.). For example, drive data may includelocation information, such as GPS coordinates, indicating thegeographical location of the vehicle computing device 206 as well asspeed and acceleration data that may be used to detect speeding andhard-braking events. The vehicle computing device 206 may be furtherconfigured to accept navigation inputs, such as routing information,from a user and to send routing information to the social journeyproviding system (e.g., application servers 205, administrativecomputing device 207, etc.).

Although FIG. 2 depicts just one vehicle computing device 206 within thevehicle 202, the vehicle may contain more than one vehicle computingdevices 206 in some cases. For example, the vehicle 202 may carry one ormore passengers in addition to the driver, and each person may have oneor more vehicle computing devices 206.

The vehicle computing device 206 may communicate (see dashed arrows) toor with one or more computing devices 208 or 209. The notifications maybe transmitted directly from a vehicle computing device 206 to computingdevice 208 or 209, or indirectly through, e.g., an application server205 (e.g., a communication may be transmitted to an application server205, which in turn may transmit a communication to the appropriatecomputing device 208 or 209). A computing device 208 may be anycomputing device (e.g., a smartphone, tablet, laptop, desktop computer,etc.) that is associated with another user. FIG. 2 illustrates that thecomputing device 208 may be a mobile computing device (e.g., asmartphone). Where the computing device 208 is a mobile computingdevice, it may send and receive communications through a cellularnetwork element 204 as shown in FIG. 2. The computing device 208 may beconfigured in a similar manner to the computing device 101 of FIG. 1.

Still referring to FIG. 2, the vehicle computing device 206 may beconfigured in a similar manner to the computing device 101 of FIG. 1.

The vehicle computing device 206 may be configured to connect to one ormore devices (e.g., a GPS, sensors, etc.) installed on the vehicle 202to collect the drive data. In some embodiments, the vehicle computingdevice 206 may be a system including multiple devices. For example, thevehicle computing device 206 may include the vehicle's on-boarddiagnostic (OBD) system. The vehicle computing device 206 may beconfigured to interface with one or more vehicle sensors (e.g., fuelgauge, tire pressure sensors, engine temperature sensors, etc.). Thevehicle computing device may be configured to communicate directly orindirectly with the vehicle telematics management system.

In some embodiments, vehicles 202 may be autonomous or in an autonomousmode (e.g., auto-pilot mode). An autonomously controlled vehicle 202 maybe controlled by its vehicle computing device 206 and/or a remotecomputing device via the network 201 or another network. The vehiclecomputing device 206 may employ sensors for inputting informationrelated to a vehicle's surroundings (e.g., distance from nearby objects)and use the inputted information to control components of the vehicle202 to drive the vehicle 202.

FIG. 2 further illustrates that the social journey providing system mayinclude one or more application servers 205. The application servers 205may be configured to receive communications (which may include plannedroute data or information indicating driving events) from computingdevice 206 and process the information to determine if conditions aremet (e.g., whether the user will be or is on a shared route). Theapplication servers 205 may determine whether to forward postings toother computing devices 208 or 209. The application servers 205 may alsodetermine which computing devices 208 or 209 should receive anotification when determining whether a posting is to be forwarded. Theapplication servers 205 may include one or more databases forassociating one or more computing devices 206, 208 or 209 with one ormore users so that the user may be identified by the system.

In addition to receiving communications from computing device 206, theapplication servers 205 may also be configured to receive preferencesand other data from the user of the computing device 206. In someembodiments, the application servers 205 may host a website that userscan visit to view a history of past routes. This same website may beused by users to save and share routes to other users.

Insurance providing companies (which may own or maintain the applicationservers 205) may also access the application servers 205 to check theoperation of a user's vehicle. In some embodiments, the applicationservers 205 may collect performance information related to how wellusers are driving. Further, the application servers 205 may include oneor more databases and may maintain account information (e.g.,auto-insurance policy account information) of users. The applicationservers 205 may also maintain an account keeping track of points and/ormoney awarded to users for demonstrating good driving behavior.

The administrative computing device 207 of FIG. 2 may be maintainedand/or operated by an administrator of the social journey providingsystem. For example, in a case where the social journey providing systemis provided by an insurance company, the administrator may be anypersonnel of the insurance company with authorization to makechanges/updates to the system. System administrators may use theadministrative computing device 207 to update the social journeyproviding system. For example, the administrative computing device 207may be used to prepare and deploy software updates to the deviceprogram, or other software executing on devices within the system (e.g.,software running on the application servers 205). The administrativecomputing device 207 may also be used by system administrators to ensurethat the system is running smoothly. For example, the administrativecomputing device 207 may be used to check that computing devices 206 aresending routing data.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example map 300 in accordance with the presentdisclosure. The map 300 may be accessed by a user using a vehiclecomputing device 206. For example, the vehicle computing device 206 mayexecute a program that accesses map data stored on the applicationserver(s) 205 to provide the map 300. In some embodiments, the map datamay be stored on vehicle computing device 206 and accessed internally.In addition to viewing the map 300, the user may set up a route 301. Theroute 301 may designate a start location 302 and a destination 303. Uponconfiguring a route, the computing device 206 may send the planned routeto application server(s) 205 for storage and comparison with otherusers' routes. The route information may be provided to applicationserver(s) 205 in various ways. For example, a set of way points may beprovided by vehicle computing device 206. In some embodiments, if may besufficient to send only the start and destination points and theapplication server may determine the route. In some embodiments, vehiclecomputing device 206 may send updates of vehicle location to applicationserver(s) 205, at specific times or throughout a journey while on aroute.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram for an example method in accordancewith aspects of the present disclosure. At step 402, the social journeyproviding system, such as the system 101 of FIG. 1, may receive userinformation and route data. The user information may contain useridentifying information, such as a user ID. The user information mayalso contain information such as user preference, user interests,information about user “to do” items or a shopping list. User routeinformation may include a start location, a destination and/or a path tobe taken by the user. A user may type or select their destination in anapplication, such as an application on vehicle computing device 206. Theapplication may have navigation functions, but navigation functions maynot be required in some embodiments. Following user entry of adestination, a route may be determined. The current location,destination and routing may be shared to a server, such as applicationserver(s) 205. Similar information may be shared by other drivers,either at the same time or before or after the user's routinginformation is provided to the server. The application server(s) 205 maystore a history associated with each user. In some embodiments, theapplication server may operate in a current window, where informationform users may be stored for a short time period, and may be discardedafter reaching a certain age.

At step 404, the social journey providing system may identify otherusers who share aspects of the user's route. There are various ways inwhich a shared route may be determined. In some embodiments, usershaving the same destination point and path may be determined to share aroute. In other embodiments, users having start points and destinationsin the same regional areas may be determined to share a route, forexample, users going from city A to city B may be determined to share aroute. In still other embodiments, users having at least a common pathsegment, way point or intersection may be determined to share a route. Astretch of road from A to B to C may be defined as a “linear” and mayrepresent a common path segment for users having routes that include thelinear. In some embodiments, the direction of travel may be consideredin determining whether users share a route. For example, users travelingin opposite directions may be considered to be sharing a route if theyshare a path segment. In some embodiments, users traveling in oppositedirections may be determined to not share a route, even though they maytravel the same roadways.

In some embodiments, a number of routes may be configured by the systemas shared route candidates and users may be monitored for their entry toone or more of the route candidates. In some embodiments, the system mayprovide for one or more shared routes at a given time.

In some embodiments, the system may determine that users who travelbetween certain zones as part of their typical behavior may share aroute. For example, a user may work in one zone, zone A, and live inanother zone, zone B, and the system may determine that these usersshare a route, based on their traveling between Zone A and Zone B, eventhough they may travel differing routes.

In certain embodiments, routes that may contain points that are in closeproximity or destinations that are near other destinations or close toroutes may be treated as shared. In still other embodiments, past orfuture routes may be evaluated and included in determining sharedroutes. In some embodiments, users may have driven on a particularsegment previously and the system may determine that they share a route.Future routes may be predicted, based on user driving history (forexample, when a user always takes certain routes on weekdays) or theymay be detected based on data entered into a navigation device. Vehiclecomputing devices 206 may report location, route and destination. Insome embodiments, the system may track users during all or a part oftheir journey.

An aspect of some embodiments may include the enabling or creating acommunity of users. The social journey providing system may create acommunity of users who share a route. The community of users may beprovided access to services such as chat rooms or channels. Users mayget added or dropped from the community, based on their route or theircurrent position on a route. In some embodiments, users in proximity maybe grouped together as a community. A user moving closer or farther awaymay be added or dropped from the community.

In some embodiments, the existence of a common interest may beconsidered, in addition to a shared route. Strangers may share a routeand may have a common interest (finding parking, a hobby, schoolattended). In some embodiments the social journey system may createcommunities or sub-communities of users sharing a route who have acommon interest.

At step 406, the social journey providing system may offer socialjourney services to the user. In some embodiments, the system mayprovide an interface for the user to submit a query to the other usersidentified in step 404. In some embodiments, the user may not beprovided with the identity of the other users or their locations. Forexample, the system may provide the user with information that indicatesothers share a route, but the system may provide a general location ofother users, rather than their precise locations. The system mayidentify users with a visual indication on a map while keeping theidentity of those users anonymous. In some embodiments, the system mayprovide a chat service in which a user may communicate with the otherusers who share the route. In other embodiments, the system may providefor recording of a route, based on a user request, for example.

In some embodiments, the system may provide an assistance capabilitywith which a user may request assistance from other users who share theroute. The assistance capability may be further configured to provideparticular assistance features, such as providing a simple method for auser to request a ride from other users sharing the route. In someembodiments, various parameters of the other users sharing the route maybe considered and the request may be sent to a subset of those userssharing a route. Continuing the example above, when a user requests aride from other users sharing a route, the system may filter the requestand target the request to selected users. In some embodiments, thetargeted users may be those users who are sharing the route and headingin the same direction as the user. In other embodiments, the system maytarget the user request to other users who have safe driving records,according to insurance risk ratings for those users.

In some embodiments, the system may provide communication capability tousers in a community. Communications between users may be anonymous orthe system may enable users to know the identity of other users.Communications may be in the form of text messages, audio, or othermeans for communication. In an example embodiment, a user may press abutton and speak into the vehicle computing device 206 to send a shortaudio message, for example, to other users in the community. In someembodiments, a server may handle messaging between users. In some otherembodiments, users may communicate peer to peer, without need forcommunicating through application server(s) 205.

In some other embodiments, the system may share portions or the userinformation with other users on the shared route. In one embodiment, thesystem may provide for digital bumper stickers. Digital bumper stickersare a means for users to share information about themselves, such ashobbies or interests, with other users. Users that otherwise would bestrangers may be sharing a route and sharing an interest. A user mayprovide information about his/her interests to the system, for example,associated with the user ID. A digital bumper sticker might serve as abasis for engaging with another person. In some embodiments, the systemmay connect users who have the same or similar interests. In someembodiments, the digital bumper sticker may be provided to users whoshare a common interest on a shared route. The digital bumper stickermay be displayed to a user, as well as where the user associated withthe digital bumper sticker is located. The system may point out theseusers somewhere down the road, for example, by displaying arepresentation on a user interface of vehicle computing device 206. Auser who has received a digital bumper sticker may determine to engagewith another user, based on information in the digital bumper sticker.In some embodiments, the system may provide a method for a user topreset their affinity or interests. In other embodiments, the system maysuggest affinities, by providing affinities/interests for a user tochoose from, for example, as a means to help users group together underthese interests. Some of the suggested interests may be related to thedriving route, such as suggesting interests related to locations alongthe route or related to the destination, for example. Information abouta user's driving history or safety record may be considered in relationto an affinity group.

A user may configure settings to control what type of information isshared, including whether or not routes, origination, destination orpersonally identifiable information is shared.

In one embodiment, the system may provide services in which a user maysend a query to other users that share a route, for example, to askothers about the best place for breakfast. Other users on the route maybe able to answer questions. The query and response may be in real-timeor queries or responses may be stored for later answering or reading. Aquery could be posted and then answered later by another user. In someembodiments, many users may answer a query. In those embodiments, thesystem may normalize the replies. In examples where a query is for arecommendation for a location or type of business, the system mayprovide a list of the locations ranked by highest incidence of responsesor may provide locations with the highest ratings, for example, as mightbe determined via a voting of responses. The system may store andprovide information from previous requests. A user may be able to querythe system to retrieve a stored response or to check to see if aparticular query had been posted before.

In embodiments where queries or responses are stored, the retrieval ofthe information may be further based on a geographic area or route. Thesystem may look up, for example, using an online database, informationregarding the locations that are provided in answers in order to gatheradditional details about a location. For example, whether or not therehave been many accidents reported near the location. Queries may belimited to users that take the same route and to users that may be inproximity. Queries may be sent to users along the shared route atvarious locations. For example, a second user trailing behind a firstuser may be able to pick up a forgotten item, such as something thefirst user left at the office, where the office is along a shared route.Users who share a route and destination may communicate to carpool. Insome embodiments, the system may provide a sample set of queries whichmight typically be answered by other users, as a tool for informingusers of services available. For example, a query “Can I get a ridetomorrow?” may be part of a standard query set provided by the systemand any user may use the query to find a ride from another user, basedon destination and/or shared route.

In some embodiments, a query may be communicated to all users on alinear (a path between two points or regions), for example, to ask aboutbridge work or traffic, or to ask about other routes users may take orhave discovered. The system may provide for an anonymous reply. Queriesor query responses may be in the form of structured data, for examplewith fields allocated for location, merchant name, menu, hours, ratings,etc. Users may vote or add ratings and these values may be compiled bythe system in order to show the top items by ranking.

In an embodiment, the system may provide for another type ofcommunication, a posting, in which an immediate response may not beexpected. A posting may be submitted by a user to other users sharing aroute. A user may post a tip or review or rating, for example, “I wish Ihad taken exit 31.” The system may use postings as a database forresponses to questions. In some embodiments, users may see all messagesposted within a certain proximity or radius of their location.

In one embodiment, the system may provide for virtual gifting in which auser or merchant may provide a gift to another user. For example,directions to a location to take in a great view may be provided. Alittle known fact could be a good gift. In some embodiments, when a userbuys something from merchant on a shared route, the merchant may givethe user a coupon to be offered to others sharing the route. A user maygive the merchant coupon to others in his/her community. In someembodiments, a user may receive a gift he/she drives in proximity to alocation. In other embodiments, a user may receive a gift because he/shehad given gifts before themselves. Gifts may be provided at the end ofjourney, the beginning of a journey or during a journey. The system mayprovide a notification, such as “You received two gifts on this trip.”

In some embodiments, the system may determine or predict whether a useris likely to repeat a route or trip. The system may offer gifts, such ascoupons, along trips that a user often travels. In some embodiments, thesystem may provide gifts that are suitable to tourists. The system mayprovide a method for a merchant to offer coupons to users on a sharedroute near the merchant's place of business. The entry of a route intothe vehicle computing device 206 may trigger the gifting.

In some embodiments, the system may determine or predict whether a tripis a normal trip or is a vacation, and vary the gift offers accordingly.For example, some gifts may be more attractive to tourists. A usertraveling to an amusement park may be more interested in a gift suitablefor a tourist while a user on their normal commute may not.

In one embodiment, the system may provide for a chat mode in which usersmay have a conversation, such as an audio conversation. The users in theconversation may be in proximity to one another or on a shared route.The system may provide for various channels where users may have a chatsession. The channels may be designated with a topic, such as driversafety, or they may be undesignated. In some embodiments, channels maybe provided for users who are driving and for users who are not thedriver. Another channel may be designated for discussions about traffic.Another channel may be designated for users heading to a common event,such as a football game. The chat mode may increase driver safety byproviding a service where users may talk to stay awake. The system mayprovide channels that are related to the route a user may be on. Thesystem may provide a means for users on a trip create custom content. Incertain embodiments, the system may provide for users to choose whetheror not to communicate anonymously in the chat sessions.

In some embodiments, the system may provide for users going to and fromevents (e.g. concerts, games, festivals) to participate in chatsessions. The system may recognize that many users are headed to thesame location. The system may provide an option for users to interactregarding the event. For example, the system may determine that 60 usersare headed to a particular location and that some may be on the sameroute. The system may provide an indication to the users and provide amethod for the users to start interacting, for example by voice or textmessaging.

In some embodiments, the system may provide for route sharing andfollowing. With route sharing, a user may develop routes and provide orpublish them to other users. For example, a user may develop and publishfive routes for antiquing or three routes for garage sales for thecoming weekend. The system may provide for users to publish a favoriteroute. As described, the system may provide for a user to publish aroute. In some embodiments, the system may provide for others to postalternate routes, associated with the user's published route. The systemmay provide for users to comment on published routes. For example,someone knowledgeable of antiquing may provide information or commentsfor antiquing on particular routes. Published routes may be updated bythe user who posted the route.

In some embodiments, the system may provide for updates to users whowant to get updates from other users (“follow” those users). Forexample, users may follow an expert who posts routes related to variousactivities or interests.

In one embodiment, the system may provide for sponsored routes. Asponsored route is a route in which a merchant or organization publishesa route. The merchant may pay to have the sponsored route published tousers. For example, a Michigan wine board may sponsor routes takingusers by wineries in Michigan. The route may be offered to users, basedon their location or based on their entry of a route that may be nearthe sponsored route.

In another embodiment, the system may provide for offers, such as deals,to be input from merchants and provided to user communities, forexample, based on the users' proximity and preferences in the community.In some embodiments, the system may assist merchants in determiningdeals to offer based on user profiles, such as a driving record. Amerchant may offer exclusive deals for users on a particular route.Deals may be offered to user communities, based on routes and/or userpreferences. In some embodiments, the system may provide merchants withstatistics, such as how many users are driving by a location over aperiod of time, in order to help a merchant quantify the number ofpotential customers.

In one embodiment, the system may provide for user assistance. Forexample, a user may need assistance in getting a ride or picking upsomething forgotten at the office. Another user on the same route may becontacted by the system or the system may provide for a user to contactanother user to request assistance. In some embodiments, the system mayidentify other users on a particular route and allow a user to contactthem anonymously to request assistance. In some embodiments, a user'sdriving score or accident record or other safety related score may beconsidered by the system before connecting or allowing a user to provideassistance.

In one embodiment, the system may provide for coordination of ridesamong users. For example, the system may suggest a user to coordinate aride with another user when the system has determined that the userstravel to and from similar areas. In another embodiment, the system mayidentify users driving to and from a soccer practice field and offer orsuggest for those users to connect with each other.

In one embodiment, the system may provide for citizen action. Often auser may notice problems along a route, long before responsiblegovernment authorities are aware of the problem. In some embodiments,the system may provide for these users to join together to start apetition for government action. For example, the system may facilitatepetitioning for a bridge repair, for expansion of public transit, or fora gas station in a particular area. The system may capture and providevarious metrics related to a shared route or journey. For example, thenumber of users on the shared route may be calculated or estimated, forexample, over time. In some embodiments the results of metriccalculations may be presented on a display or communicated to users,merchants, government entities, or others, for example.

In some embodiments, the system may provide a connection between usersbased on their social linkage, in addition to their sharing a route.Social linkage refers to an online social proximity, such as two degreesof separation on a social networking site, such as friends of a friendin an online social network. In one embodiment, the system may providean interface to various online social networking sites in order toaccess information related to social links between users. For example, asocial networking site may provide information that the system may useto determine social distance between users on a shared route. Inaddition, a user may share their contacts with the system and the systemmay provide algorithms in which the contacts of various users may beanalyzed in order to determine social distance between users. In someembodiments, the system may connect users who share a route with anotheruser in their contacts or with a user who may be within two degrees ofseparation on a social network. In some embodiments a user may ask for ablind connection to another user who may be identified as a social link,where neither party knows the identity of the other.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example process flow in which a user may be addedto a community. At step 501, the system monitors a user. The system maypoll the user's vehicle computing device 206 or the system may receivecommunications from the vehicle computing device. At step 502, it isdetermined whether a user has entered a shared route. In someembodiments, the user may configure a route in a navigation system, suchas via an application in vehicle computing device 206 and the system maydetermine whether the entered route is a shared route. In otherembodiments, the system may determine that a user is on a shared routebased on the current location or trajectory of the vehicle computingdevice 206. If the system determines that the user has entered a sharedroute, then the process may continue at step 503. If the systemdetermines that the user has not entered a shared route, then theprocess may return to step 501.

At step 503, a user may be added to a community of users related to theshared route. At step 504, the user will be monitored, similar to themonitoring in step 501. At step 505, the system checks whether the userhas left the shared route. If the user has left the shared route, theprocess may continue to step 506, where the user may be removed from thecommunity of users on a shared route. If it is determined that the userhas not left the shared route, then the process may continue to step 504where the user is monitored.

In other embodiments, the system may provide for entry of shopping,errand or “to do” lists. FIG. 6 illustrates an example user interfacefor such an embodiment. User interface 602 depicts a master list inwhich shopping and “to do” items are both listed in a single master list604. In some embodiments, separate lists may be used for differentactivities. In some embodiments, the system may provide offers to a userregarding tasks that can be accomplished, related the list, based on auser's route. The system may provide special offers to users forshopping along their route. In some embodiments, the system may providea route, such as depicted in FIG. 7, given a particular list. Referringto FIG. 7, a route may be provided to help a user find items in ashopping list. The route may be organized for various properties, suchas shortest distance, shortest time required, least number of stopsrequired, or least cost for purchased goods. These are only some of theexample properties that may be included in routing development. In someembodiments, alternate routes may be offered based on various propertiesin order for the user to choose a preferred routing. For example,referring to FIG. 7, route 704 may refer to route “A” while route 706may refer to route “B”. Route A may contain stops, such as stop 702.Similarly, route “B” may contain stops such as stop 708. Continuing theexample, referring now to FIG. 8, information about the alternate routes704 and 706 may be presented to the user in user interface 802. Portion804 of the user interface may display qualities related to route “A” andanother portion 806 may display qualities related to route “B”. As canbe seen in FIG. 8, total cost and time required for the routes may bedisplayed, helping a user to choose a preferred route.

In some embodiments, the system may combine activities or lists frommore than one user, either at the request of the users or without therequest of the users. The system may offer coupons or advertisementsfrom merchants who may be related in various ways to the shopping,errand or “to do” lists. FIG. 9 is an example illustration of a userinterface in which offers related to items in a user's shopping list maybe presented. Items 902, 904 and 906 represent items from a user'sshopping list and may be presented to the user when the user is in closeproximity to merchants selling those items.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example embodiment in which the system may assignroute-based or geography-based affinities to communities or to users ona route, including to users on a shared route. The system may assignroute based affiliations, for example, based on geographic parameters.For example, the system may assign an affinity related to high schoolsports scores based on a geographic area. Continuing the example, usersheading south of a city in the evening may be offered south side highschool sports scores while users driving north of a city in the eveningmay be offered north side high school sports scores. In the exampleillustration in FIG. 10, users in a northwest area 1002 of the mapdisplayed may be offered news radio programming, while users in anortheast area 1004 may be offered music hits while users in a southregion 1006 may be offered sports scores. These listening affinities maybe determined through various means and may be based on demographicprofiles of users, insurance related scores, and other parameters.

FIG. 11 is an example illustration of a planned route 1104 from a user'sorigin 1110 to his/her destination 1112. Along the route 1104 may bedepicted coffee shop locations 1106, for example, in response to a usersearching for coffee shops. In some embodiments, the system may offer analternate route 1102 to a suggested coffee shop 1108, not on theoriginally planned route. The suggested coffee shop 1108 may be owned bya merchant who has arranged to offer coupons to a user if the user takesan alternate route to arrive at the coffee shop. An example userinterface 1202 illustrating a coupon offer is shown in FIG. 12. In theexample illustrated, a $2 coupon 1204 is presented to the user.

In some embodiments, a user may request a route to a destination and beoffered a choice of routing types. For example, a scenic route may beone of the options available. Other routing types may include“uncharted”, which may be a route the user has not taken before. Anotherrouting type may be “random”, in which the route might vary on a dailybasis, for example. In some embodiments, a list of places to discovermay be presented. For example, a landmark may be indicated on a display.The locations of recommended restaurants or shopping may be indicated ona display. Certain locations may be highlighted or marked in a way toconvey their status as favorites of another user.

The system may incorporate various route or user safety or drivingrecords during any of the selection or recommendation of routes,services or users discussed above. The system may provide routing with abias toward safer routes, for example. In some embodiments, a particularmerchant may be recommended, or not, based on route safety or accidentclaims history data nearby the merchant. In examples where a shared rideis requested, the system may control which users are informed or mayrespond based on the driving records of those users. Various modes maybe enabled or disabled based on user driving record or history. Thesystem may communicate with an insurance provider database or otherthird party or government database in order to access information aboutdriver records, driver history, route safety, etc. In some embodiments,the system may consider aspects of risk in making recommendations. Inother embodiments, the system may consider driving scores of users thathave visited locations previously in order to assign a risk score to alocation. In still other embodiments, the system may evaluate a user'sresponse to information and use this response as a rating factor. Forexample, the system may provide information to a user about the safetyof an intersection and recommend an alternate route. Continuing theexample, if the user were to pass through the intersection, the systemmay alter a risk rating for that driver, in light of the possibly riskybehavior.

In some embodiments, the system may receive information from an insureduser regarding a potential route and provide the insured user withpotential options for deviations from the route based on insurerpreferences and insurance information related to the insurance claims inrelation to potential routes. The system may also include incorporatingthe insured user's route decisions into insurance rating formulas andinsurance premiums.

The system may provide safety information to a user or use theinformation to disqualify a route or destination. Various routes may bewithheld from a user or not shared with others if the route is deemed tobe dangerous. In some embodiments, the system may notify a user if aroute is below safety qualifications. The system may record how a userchooses to use rating factor information and this may factor into auser's rating. For example, always opting for the route that is safer,or not, may be an indication of user risk tolerance. In someembodiments, the system may include a user's driver score along with aposted or shared route. In some embodiments, the system may select orscreen user offers for ride sharing based on the user's driver score.For example, if a first user's driving score is 96 and a second user'sdriver score is 46, while each are offering a ride, the system mayprovide the first driver's offer and not provide the second driver'soffer. The system may filter or limit functions available, depending ona user's driver score. For example, a user with a low driver score maybe able to view, but not post information. In some embodiments, thesystem may collect data to determine the routing taken by users inrelation to their driver score. For example, the system may determinethat safer drivers tend to go to particular coffee shop or that userswith a lower driver score tend to take particular routes. The system mayuse this information to score users for which a driver score is notavailable, for example, when a user is not a customer of a partnerinsurance provider. Such a user may be scored similarly to other scoredusers based on their having similar routing habits. In some embodiments,the system may set a particular risk threshold and filter or block routepostings that are above the threshold. In still other embodiments, thesystem may provide information about a user's driving habits toinsurance providers so that the user may, for example, get a discount onauto insurance for taking routes that are safer.

In some embodiments, the methods may include receiving a first routefrom a first user, receiving a second route from a second user,determining that the first route and the second route share a geographicaspect and providing a service to at least one of the first user and thesecond user.

In some embodiments, the methods may include accepting a query from thefirst user and sending the query to the second user.

In other embodiments, the methods may include creating a communitycomprising the first user and the second user and providing a chatservice for the community.

In some embodiments, the methods may include providing a posting servicewherein the first user may post messages to the community.

In some embodiments, the methods may include providing a giftingservice, wherein the first user may provide a gift in a communication tothe second user.

In some embodiments, the methods may include providing a set ofassistance features to the first user. In some embodiments, the set ofassistance features may comprise a query wherein the first user canrequest a ride. In some embodiments, the request may be sent to thesecond user, depending on a driver safety record of the second user.

In some embodiments, the methods may include publishing the first routeto the second user.

In some embodiments, the methods may include determining a safety ratingfor the first route and publishing the first route to the second user,responsive to the safety rating being above a selected threshold.

In some embodiments, the methods may include receiving a first personalinterest from the first user and providing the first personal interestto the second user. In some embodiments, the methods may includereceiving a second personal interest from the second user and creating acommunity comprising the first user and the second user when the firstpersonal interest and the second personal interest are related.

In some embodiments, the methods may include receiving information froma social networking service, wherein the information identifies a socialconnection between the first user and the second user and creating acommunity comprising the first user and the second user.

In some embodiments, the methods may include determining that the firstroute and the second route have a common destination; and providingcommunications between the first user and the second user.

In some embodiments, the methods may include determining that the firstroute and the second route have a common destination and providing asuggestion to the first user for a coordination with the second user.

In some embodiments, the methods may include determining that the firstroute and the second route are a shared route and identifying a merchantin proximity to the shared route. In some embodiments, the methods mayinclude accepting an advertisement from the merchant and providing theadvertisement to at least one of the first user and the second user. Insome embodiments, the methods may include accepting a rating of themerchant from the first user and providing the rating to the seconduser. In some embodiments, the methods may include providing anidentifier of the merchant to the first user. In some embodiments, themethods may include determining a route safety rating associated with alocation of the merchant and providing the safety rating to the firstuser.

Aspects of the invention have been described in terms of illustrativeembodiments thereof. Numerous other embodiments, modifications, andvariations within the scope and spirit of the appended claims will occurto persons of ordinary skill in the art from a review of thisdisclosure. For example, one of ordinary skill in the art willappreciate that the steps illustrated in the illustrative figures may beperformed in other than the recited order, and that one or more stepsillustrated may be optional in accordance with aspects of the invention.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method for reducing fuel consumptionthrough ride sharing, the method comprising: receiving, by anapplication server, a first route from a first vehicle computing device,wherein the first vehicle computing device comprises a GPS receiver andan on-board diagnostics (OBD) system interface to a fuel gauge sensorand wherein the first route comprises GPS coordinates of a currentlocation, received from the GPS receiver, and GPS coordinates of pointson a planned route stored by the first vehicle computing device;receiving, from a second vehicle computing device, a second routecomprising GPS coordinates of points on a planned route stored by thesecond vehicle computing device; based on the first route and the secondroute, determining, by the application server, that a first vehiclecorresponding to the first vehicle computing device and a second vehiclecorresponding to the second vehicle computing device are associated witha shared route; receiving, from the second vehicle computing device, arequest by a second user for a ride; determining a driver safety ratingof a first user associated with the first vehicle computing device;responsive to the determining that the first vehicle and the secondvehicle are associated with the shared route and responsive to thedetermining that the driver safety rating is above a threshold,selecting the first vehicle for ride sharing; and transmitting, by theapplication server, a communication to the second vehicle computingdevice informing the second user that the first vehicle has beenselected for ride sharing, wherein fuel consumed the first vehicle bytransporting the first user and the second user over the shared route isless than the fuel consumed by the first vehicle and second vehicleseparately traversing, respectively, the first route and the secondroutes.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that the firstvehicle and the second vehicle are associated with a shared routecomprises determining that at least one of a start location, adestination location, a waypoint, an intersection and a route segmentare common among the first route and the second route.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: identifying, by the application server, athird route comprising GPS coordinates of points on a planned routestored by a third vehicle computing device; determining that a thirdvehicle corresponding to the third vehicle computing device isassociated with the shared route; in response to the determining,creating a community comprising the first user, the second user and athird user associated with the third vehicle computing device;receiving, by the application server, a message from the first vehiclecomputing device; and providing the message to the second vehiclecomputing device and the third vehicle computing device.
 4. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: transmitting the request to the firstvehicle computing device.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:transmitting, by the application server, the first route to the secondvehicle computing device.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:determining, by the application server, a safety rating for the firstroute, wherein the transmitting the first route to the second vehiclecomputing device is responsive to the safety rating being above athreshold.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receivinginformation indicative of a first personal interest of the first user;and transmitting, to the second user, the information indicative of thefirst personal interest.
 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:receiving information indicative of a personal interest of the seconduser; and creating, by the application server, a community comprisingthe first user and the second user when the personal interest of thefirst user and the personal interest of the second user are related. 9.The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving information from asocial networking service, wherein the information identifies a socialconnection between the first user and the second user; and creating, bythe application server, a community comprising the first user and thesecond user, based on the information.
 10. The method of claim 1,wherein the determining that the first vehicle and the second vehicleare associated with a shared route further comprises determining thatthe first route and the second route have a common destination andwherein the transmitting the communication further comprises enablingcommunications between the first vehicle computing device and the secondvehicle computing device.